2007 Chablis La Forest
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Tasting notes
The Raveneau 2007 Chablis La Foret – whose young vines had very low yields this year, resulting in a high-for-its-vintage 13% natural alcohol – is particularly pungent in its expressions of citrus zest, piquant, iris-like floral perfume, and white pepper. Satisfying richness of white peach and a glossy, silken texture help ameliorate any tendency of the wine’s pronounced pungency to become too aggressive, and a wonderful sense of scallop-like sweet, saline, animal savor emerges on airing, contributing – along with an enhanced impression of liquid floral perfume – to a finish of lasting fascination and memorable distinctiveness. This is by no means a typical 2007, let alone a Chablis distinguished by rectitude. I would plan on monitoring it closely and relishing it relatively early. Bernard Raveneau views his bright, mineral-inflected 2007s – picked from September 10-16 – as potentially richer versions of 2004, since the former, he indicates, have gained in textural allure during their elevage. That also explains why he did not plan to bottle most of these 2007s until late spring or summer, and I have accordingly not tasted them since bottling. (Incidentally, Raveneau is very excited and intrigued by his 2008s, wines with an effusion of floral and herbal youthful aromatics that he says he has never before encountered, but whose finished results he speculated might combine aspects of 2006 and 2007.) Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524
Critic scores
David Schildknecht, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
An expressive nose of honey, lemon peel and grapefruit merges into pure, round but muscled and punchy flavors brimming with Chablis character and culminating in a soil-driven, stony and delicious finish. This is actually a bit more refined than usual though it can't match the best 1ers here in that regard. It's also relatively approachable because of the mid-palate fat, which makes it somewhat atypical in the context of the vintage.
Bright yellow tinged with green and gold. Superripe aromas of apricot and honey. Fat, silky and rich, with strong yellow fruit flavors dominating. From a tiny crop picked at the end of the harvest, with potential alcohol of 13% (the rest of Raveneau's 2007s are a bit lower in alcohol in the bottle, even after light chaptalization). By far the warmest of these 2007s, even a bit aggressive, and quite atypical for this producer.
Pale yellow. Pure aromas of lemon, flowers and stone, with a whiff of honey (these were the ripest grapes in 2007, said Raveneau). Sweet, supple and fairly full in the mouth, with very ripe flavors of peach, nectarine, honey and spices. Finishes broad, round and long, showing more flowers than minerals on the back.